Argument9 [杀G精锐部队] 第一次作业 by fainting_robin

fainting_robinUID: 2336582

TOPIC: ARGUMENT9 - The following appeared in a memorandum from a dean at Omega University.
"Fifteen years ago, Omega University implemented a new procedure that encouraged students to evaluate the teaching effectiveness of all their professors. Since that time, Omega professors have begun to assign higher grades in their classes, and overall student grade averages at Omega have risen by thirty percent. Potential employers apparently believe the grades at Omega are inflated; this would explain why Omega graduates have not been as successful at getting jobs as have graduates from nearby Alpha University. To enable its graduates to secure better jobs, Omega University should now terminate student evaluation of professors."
WORDS: 400         TIME: 01:20:00          DATE: 2007-12-24  

The author's reasoning line is that evaluating the teaching effectiveness causes grade inflation, which then undermines the reputation of Omega University and the job chance for its graduates. The statement seems reasonable at the first glance, but if reconsidered it, the reasoning is doubtful.

In the first place, the correlation between evaluating the teaching effectiveness of professors and 30 percent increase in average grade at Omega University is mistaken as causation relationship. In fact, there may be other facts to lead to the increase, for instance, professors correct assignments with more patience and notice them worth a greater grade. Or students' attitude towards study become more serious and performance better for certain reasons. Or the new comers to Omega University have better quality than ever before since then.  So without ruling out these and other possibilities, the author couldn't make a reliable causation relationship between two things which may happened to appear during a same period.

Even if we concede that the evaluating do cause a rise in grade, it still not the same conception with "inflation". A rise in average grade maybe happen in this way: the evaluating stimulate professors to work more efficiently, which then stimulate students' affection and performance to the subjects. However, inflation implies that professor is afraid of given a bad judgment by students in return if he/she gives a low grade to students. But the author doesn't provide sufficient facts to support this indirect assumption. Therefore it is equally possible that the increasing grade is brought by a good circle, which may enhance the reputation of Omega University and the job chance for its graduates instead of decreasing them.

Finally, the fact that graduates from Alpha University are more successful in getting jobs than those from Omega University may be caused by the situation that the former one have close relations with local government and companies, which gives advantage to its students in finding works. Or Alpha University is a top one in the States; therefore not only Omega but also other universities can't exceed it. Another possible case is that Alpha and Omega have quite different institutes/components, thus their graduates are going to work in different professional fields, so the comparison is meaningless.

To conclude, it is unreasonable to terminate student evaluation of professor in order to enable graduates to secure better jobs. The author failed to provide valid evidence or do unquestionable reasoning.